C&W Asia, Creative Technology Form Internet JV

In an effort to move into the southeast Asian Internet market, Cable & Wireless Asia and Creative Technology Ltd. Thursday formed a Singapore-based joint venture Internet services company.

The new venture, Cable & Wireless Network Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd., is already licensed as an ISP in Singapore. It plans to follow up its Internet access offerings with IP, e-commerce, business portal and intranet/extranet networking services.

The company is expected to launch its operations early next year.

Cable & Wireless Asia intends to create several business ISPs in the region, and link the providers to Cable & Wireless global broadband IP network. The day-to-day management of Cable & Wireless Asia will primarily be outsourced to Cable & Wireless HKT.

“Cable & Wireless Asia has been set up to synergise the efforts of
Cable and Wireless plc and Cable & Wireless HKT as they implement their common strategy of establishing Internet Service Provider (ISP) businesses throughout southeast Asia,” said Linus Cheung, the joint venture’s new chairman and Cable & Wireless HKT’s chief executive.

Cable & Wireless Asia is co-owned by Cable and Wireless plc and Cable & Wireless HKT. The deal with Creative Technologies represents the subsidiary’s first joint venture.

Creative Technologies (CREAF) specializes in multimedia Internet applications.